Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

TygrBright

(20,733 posts)
Wed Oct 31, 2018, 11:52 PM Oct 2018

Here's the thing about "Birthright Citizenship":

UNLESS you are a naturalized citizen, you are a "birthright citizen."

I'm a birthright citizen.

My mother is a birthright citizen.

Her mother was a birthright citizen.

Her mother's mother was a naturalized citizen.

My daughter is a birthright citizen.

My grandson is a birthright citizen.

If [Redacted] wants to 'end birthright citizenship' NONE of us would be citizens. Except maybe my great-grandmother who was naturalized.

What is [Redacted] even talking about?

Amendment 14, Section one, says: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

So if [Redacted] takes out the words "born or", we're left with... what? "All persons naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

WTF is he babbling on about? Disenfranchising millions of Americans?

Why is the country not rising up en masse and demanding his resignation?

bewilderedly,
Bright

11 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Here's the thing about "Birthright Citizenship": (Original Post) TygrBright Oct 2018 OP
My dear Tygr Glamrock Oct 2018 #1
You sure it's not also about controlling the citizenry? Hortensis Nov 2018 #9
Ive been demanding his resignation for almost three years now! world wide wally Oct 2018 #2
You're right-- dawg day Oct 2018 #3
It's a red herring. It's just something else he threw against the wall The Velveteen Ocelot Nov 2018 #4
Because what they're talking about is something different from what you describe onenote Nov 2018 #5
Perhaps if he was serious about it, he would shut down the anchor baby business at... MiniMe Nov 2018 #6
Next up on the block, the 19th amendment 912gdm Nov 2018 #7
Your use of littlemissmartypants Nov 2018 #8
He won't even file/sign an executive order LeftInTX Nov 2018 #10
Here's the thing with Birthright Citizenship -- it's a DISTRACTION! NeverTrumpDemocrat Nov 2018 #11

Glamrock

(11,781 posts)
1. My dear Tygr
Wed Oct 31, 2018, 11:55 PM
Oct 2018

It's all about two things baby.
1) Racism
2) An ignorance of what words actually mean

But primarily #1

Hortensis

(58,785 posts)
9. You sure it's not also about controlling the citizenry?
Thu Nov 1, 2018, 03:03 AM
Nov 2018

Sure, Trump's not going to be able to do it, for long, but just imagine a nation in which any citizen could be punished and persecuted by being stripped of the benefits and privileges of citizenship. Many strong conservatives already want to regard the rights of all men in our Declaration of Independence as rights of only those who carry the right papers and are on U.S. shores.

How about making liberals ineligible to run for office or to vote after some imagined offence against the state? How about "cleansing" of whole groups from citizenship? Muslims are less than 1% of the population, Jews about 2%. How are they supposed to stop it if we no longer have a meaningful power of the vote, as has happened in liberal democracies that failed?

Not everything is all about race, in fact it's mostly actually about authoritarian power, although of course this currently includes being about race as an initial excuse to get trumpsters to support it.

“Real power is, I don’t even want to use the word: ‘Fear.’” Trump


"Hey, he's the head of a country, and I mean, he's the strong head, don't let anyone think anything different. He speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same." Trump

dawg day

(7,947 posts)
3. You're right--
Wed Oct 31, 2018, 11:59 PM
Oct 2018

But the entire point of Trump bringing this up in the week after 11 people were killed in a synagogue by a man who was obsessed with "keeping them out"--

Is to send a message to anti-semites and haters who infest his "base" that he is responding to the killer's call.

No decent person -- even anti-immigrant-- would talk about revoking citizenship of the children of refugees this week...
Trump wants the haters to know he's one of them.

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,280 posts)
4. It's a red herring. It's just something else he threw against the wall
Thu Nov 1, 2018, 12:00 AM
Nov 2018

to stir up the MAGAts. It's unconstitutional on its face; even the current Supreme Court wouldn't let him alter the 14th Amendment with an executive order. And I have no doubt that every WH adviser who got through even their first year of law school has told him that. But he doesn't care whether he can actually do it because he just wants to feed a big chunk of bloody meat to his cult members for the purpose of the elections.

onenote

(42,383 posts)
5. Because what they're talking about is something different from what you describe
Thu Nov 1, 2018, 12:15 AM
Nov 2018

what they are talking about is interpreting the amendment so that it doesn't apply to children born to parents who are not in this country legally at the time of the child's birth.

There are very strong arguments that such an interpretation is inconsistent with the amendment's intent. But there are scholars and judges who believe that Congress has the authority (pursuant to section 5 of the amendment) to adopt that interpretation.

The good news is that no one seriously thinks Trump can unilaterally adopt this interpretation and the chances of Congress adopting it (and it has been proposed before) are essentially zero, especially if we take control of the House next week.

MiniMe

(21,677 posts)
6. Perhaps if he was serious about it, he would shut down the anchor baby business at...
Thu Nov 1, 2018, 12:17 AM
Nov 2018

Mar-alago. The Russians go there to have an anchor baby, I'm sure Vladimar wouldn't mind

912gdm

(959 posts)
7. Next up on the block, the 19th amendment
Thu Nov 1, 2018, 01:16 AM
Nov 2018

"Woooooomen get tooooo hysterical to vote!!!!"

"Republicans were doing well in the polls until illeagle wooooooomen voted!!!!"


LeftInTX

(24,560 posts)
10. He won't even file/sign an executive order
Thu Nov 1, 2018, 03:36 AM
Nov 2018

This is a PR stunt.

How many things has he threatened? He won't do something that will make him a laughing stock.

 
11. Here's the thing with Birthright Citizenship -- it's a DISTRACTION!
Thu Nov 1, 2018, 03:58 AM
Nov 2018

It's Trump doing the only thing he has a real talent for -- dividing and controversializing.

He's all reality show. He "didn't come here to make friends."

He's a pretty shitty President no matter how you slice the ideological pie, so he divides, divides and divides again over issues that are just not that important in the big picture -- taking a knee, the caravan, "birthright citizenship" -- because there at the faultline of the Red vs. the Blue he shores up his own base and knee-jerks his opponents.

When your team sucks, the only things that will keep the people in the stands is us-vs-them fandom drama. He knows that or at least someone around him does.


Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Here's the thing about "B...